Born in 1921 in Newark, Ohio, Hendricks and his 14 siblings moved many times, following their father's assignments as an A.M.E. pastor, before settling permanently in Toledo. There, Hendricks began his singing career at the age of seven. He has said: "By the time I was 10, I was a local celebrity in Toledo. I had offers to go with Fats Waller when I was 12, and offers to go with Ted Lewis and be his shadow when I was 13. He had that song 'Me and My Shadow'. And he had this little Negro boy who was his shadow, that did everything he did. That was his act." As a teenager, Jon's first interest was in the drums, but before long he was singing on the radio regularly with another Toledo native, pianist Art Tatum. Jon met his first wife Colleen Moore in Toledo, Ohio. They were married and had 4 children, Jon Jr., Colleen, Eric and Michelle.
After serving in the Army during World War II, Hendricks went home to attend University of Toledo on the G.I. Bill as a pre-law major. Just when he was about to enter the graduate law program, the G.I. benefits ran out. Charlie Parker had, at a stop in Toledo two years prior, encouraged him to come to New York and look him up. Hendricks moved there and began his singing career.
In 1957, he teamed with Dave Lambert and Annie Ross to form the legendary vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross (LH&R). With Jon as lyricist, the trio perfected the art of vocalese and took it around the world, earning them the designation of the "Number One Vocal Group in the World" for five years in a row from Melody Maker magazine. Their multi-tracked album Sing a Song of Basie was one of the earliest examples of overdubbing. Hendricks typically wrote lyrics not just to melodies but to entire instrumental solos, a notable example being his take on Ben Webster's tenor saxophone solo on Ellington's original recording of "Cotton Tail", as featured on the album Lambert, Hendricks and Ross! (1960). His lyrics to Benny Golson's "I Remember Clifford" have been recorded by several other vocalists, including Dinah Washington, Carmen McRae, Nancy Wilson, Ray Charles, The Manhattan Transfer and Helen Merrill. After six years the trio disbanded for solo careers but not before leaving behind a catalog of legendary recordings, most of which have never gone out of print.
Countless singers cite the work of LH&R as an influence, including Van Morrison, Al Jarreau and Bobby McFerrin. The song "Yeh Yeh", for which Hendricks composed the lyrics, became a 1965 hit for British R&B-jazz singer Georgie Fame, who continues to record and perform Lambert, Hendricks & Ross compositions to this day. In 1966 Hendricks recorded "Fire in the City" with the Warlocks, who shortly after changed their name to the Grateful Dead.[4] Hendricks wrote lyrics for several Thelonious Monk songs, including "In Walked Bud", which he performed on Monk's 1968 album Underground.
For a performance at the 1960 Monterey Jazz Festival, he created and starred in a musical he called Evolution of the Blues Song, which featured such acclaimed singers as Jimmy Witherspoon, Hannah Dean, and "Big" Miller, as well as saxophonists Ben Webster and Pony Poindexter. The ensemble played not only Hendricks' words and music but also Percy Mayfield's classic "Please Send Me Someone to Love," the driving D. Love gospel song "That's Enough", and the blues evergreen, "C.C. Rider". In 1961, Columbia Records released an LP of the production and Hendricks later presented the show in San Francisco; at the Westwood Playhouse in Los Angeles, where it was produced by attorneys Burton Marks and Mark Green; and in New York City.
Pursuing a solo career, and after divorcing his first wife, Colleen, Hendricks moved his children to London, England, in 1968, partly so that his four children could receive a better education. While based there he toured Europe and Africa, performed frequently on British television and appeared in the 1971 British film Jazz Is Our Religion (which focuses on the photographs of Val Wilmer) as well as the French film Hommage à Cole Porter. His sold-out club dates drew fans such as the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Five years later the Hendricks family settled in Mill Valley, California, where Hendricks worked as the jazz critic for the San Francisco Chronicle and taught classes at California State University at Sonoma and the University of California at Berkeley. The piece he wrote for the stage about the history of jazz, Evolution of the Blues, ran for five years at the Off-Broadway Theatre in San Francisco and another year in Los Angeles. His television documentary Somewhere to Lay My Weary Head received Emmy, Iris and Peabody awards.
Hendricks recorded several critically acclaimed albums on his own, some with his wife Judith and daughters Michele and Aria contributing. He collaborated with old friends The Manhattan Transfer for their seminal 1985 album, Vocalese, which won seven Grammy Awards. He has served on the Kennedy Center Honors committee under Presidents Carter, Reagan, and Clinton.
In 2000 Hendricks returned to his home town to teach at the University of Toledo, where he was appointed Distinguished Professor of Jazz Studies and received an honorary Doctorate of the Performing Arts. He was recently selected to be the first American jazz artist to lecture at the Sorbonne in Paris. His 15-voice group, the Jon Hendricks Vocalstra at the University of Toledo, performed at the Sorbonne in 2002. Hendricks has also written lyrics to some classical pieces including "On the Trail" from Ferde Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite. The Vocalstra premiered a vocalese version of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade" with the Toledo Symphony.
In the summer of 2003 Hendricks went on tour with the "Four Brothers", a quartet consisting of Hendricks, Kurt Elling, Mark Murphy and Kevin Mahogany. He has worked on setting words to and arranging Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto as well as on two books, teaching and touring with his Vocalstra. He has appeared in a film with Al Pacino, People I Know (2002), and also in White Men Can't Jump (1992).
In 2012, Hendricks appeared in the documentary film No One But Me, discussing his former bandmate and friend, Annie Ross. In 2015, Hendricks lost his second wife Judith to a brain tumor. His only living children are now Jon Jr., Michelle and Aria.
In 2017, Hendricks' full lyricization of the album Miles Ahead, including Miles Davis' solos and Gil Evans' orchestrations, was completed. It was premiered in New York by UK-based choir the London Vocal Project, with Hendricks in attendance, with a studio recording to follow.
Hendricks died on November 22, 2017 in Manhattan, New York City.
Quiet Nights
Jon Hendricks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Quiet thoughts 'n quiet dreams, quiet walks by quiet streams
Climbing hills where lovers go to watch the world below together
We will live eternally in this mood of reverie away
from all the earthly cares around us
My world was dull each minute until I found you in it
Became these quiet nights of loving you!
We will live eternally in this mood of reverie away
from all the earthly cares around us
My world was dull each minute until I found you in it
And all at once the happiness I knew,
Became these quiet nights of loving you!
Hmmm
In Jon Hendricks's song "Quiet Nights," he paints a picture of a serene, peaceful moment with a loved one. The first verse evokes a sense of stillness and tranquility, with "quiet nights" and "quiet stars" providing the setting for the scene. The peacefulness is further emphasized by the "quiet chords" emanating from his guitar, which seem to float on the silence surrounding the two of them. The second verse continues the theme, describing "quiet thoughts" and "quiet dreams" as well as "quiet walks by quiet streams." The lovers in the song are depicted as being elevated, both emotionally and physically, as they climb up hills to watch the world below them.
The third verse is where the true meaning of the song comes through. The two of them are in such a state of reverie that they feel they could live "eternally" in this moment, away from all the cares of the world. The singer tells his lover that his life was "dull" before he found them, but now he feels an overwhelming "happiness." The song closes with the reaffirmation that these "quiet nights of loving you" have become the source of his contentment and joy.
This song speaks to the power of finding peace and love in another person. It's a reminder that the simple moments in life, like watching the stars or taking quiet walks, can be transformed by the presence of someone we love. The lyrics also underscore the importance of mindfulness and being present in the moment, able to appreciate the beauty around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Quiet nights 'n quiet stars, quiet chords from my guitar
The peacefulness of the night and the twinkling stars are complemented by the soft notes played by my guitar
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
We are enveloped in peace and tranquility, taking slow, deliberate steps through life with each other
Quiet thoughts 'n quiet dreams, quiet walks by quiet streams
Our minds and hearts are at peace with one another, as we stroll serenely beside still-flowing water
Climbing hills where lovers go to watch the world below together
We find joy and contentment in exploring the world and experiencing it together, basking in the beauty of nature's wonders
We will live eternally in this mood of reverie away from all the earthly cares around us
So long as we have each other, we can escape the worries of the world and find comfort in this serene state of being
My world was dull each minute until I found you in it
Before you appeared in my life, every moment felt monotonous and uninspired
And all at once the happiness I knew, became these quiet nights of loving you!
Now, with you by my side, even the simplest moments can become imbued with meaningfulness and joy
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM, GENE LEES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind